Friday, August 15, 2008

Celebrity Cameo Appearance

Carefree summer days seem to be fading into the background as other concerns like the upcoming semester (ack!), tween back-to-school Abercrombie demands and commuter-related gas pump trauma come to the fore. But happily it's not all long faces around here. How could it be when a. I have this owlish pal to keep me company and b. I met the mighty Ashley for some serious, serious fun in what I am calling "The Mac Daddy of All Knitblogger Meet-ups"™?Ashley made a celebrity cameo appearance in State College several days ago long enough for us to have a nice meal and some ice cream at the legendary Penn State Creamery. Now I know every Big Ten campus has a creamery and swears it's the best, but the Penn State Creamery is something special. Peachy Paterno cones galore! Utz Carolina-Style BBQ Potato Chips! We had such a great time together. You know those people with whom you are just certain you'd really hit it off with, if only you could meet? That's who Ashley was for me. And look what she made me, a très adorable lil owl named Clotilde. Quite a spunky little gal.The Curmudgeon has a surprising soft spot for little friends of this nature and already asked if he could take her to work and put her on his desk. Now while I am totally down with a guy who is willing to display stuffed animals in his office and subject himself to the potential scorn and derision of his colleagues and students, the answer was a resounding "NO!". Clotilde stays with me, right where she belongs.I have managed to whip out a quick project before the onslaught of the semester grinds me into a paste. I saw a prototype for this hat several days ago at the Skein Attraction in NJ while visiting the in-laws. The pattern is based on the Ann Budd pattern and is similar to the Purl Koigu Beret, except this one is knit with the yarn doubledThe SpecsPattern: Koigu Beret from the Skein Attraction in Teaneck, NJ.Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, color 204, two skeins held togetherNeedles: size 4 (ribbing), size 6 (hat)As Kim remarked, the hat has a jaunty little attitude, especially when worn at the rakish angle pictured above. I have never been a beret person as I feel that they make the wearer look like either a euro-wannabe or a frump. But this hat has enough of a crazy-Meathead shape to it that I just might change my opinion.I've been in such a Socks That Rock/Jitterbug frame of mind lately that I'd forgotten all about the sock yarn that kicked off my love for sock knitting: Koigu. Really, why had I forsaken it? I mean, is there any softer sock yarn out there? Luckily I have more than a few skeins laying around, so don't be surprised if you see it making more than just a celebrity cameo appearance around this joint.

You know I thought you rocked before. And then you had a true celebrity on your blog, and I was agog. And now... well, I don't even know what to say. Love, love the owl! And I think you daughter is just the cutest model ever (well, almost....). Oh, and the beret, yeah, I must be one of those euro-wannabes because I have always loved them. And yet... wear one? Not so much.

I miss home.........you know I am from Altoona. I go to the creamery every time we are down there. I get the cream cheese, as well as ice cream. My son just went to PSU football camp in June, I should of met up with you. I was in Altoona for a week. I plan on coming home for a few days soon. Maybe we can meet up! Leslie & I will be going to KNItOne again when the kids get back to school if u want to meet up?

The hat is very cute. But you now you have me longing for PSU Creamery. It's been a year since I had some. I think it's time to plan the yearly pilgrimage to PSU. I did not go to PSU, but my husband did. I think he likes to go every year so the kids think there is no other college but PSU! :-)

Actually, no other ice cream has the low over-run that the Creamery ice cream has. The stuff is so fresh it is only four hours from "cow to cone". No other beats that.(OK, maybe that Amish farmer's at the farmers market, but I can taste the silage in his ice cream.) I know this little tid-bit from having graduated from the College of Ag about a million years ago. Then there's the Ice Cream Short Course.....